Cumberland Charters Airlie Beach

• Hamilton Island
• Hayman Island
• Daydream Island
• Poole Island
• Long Island
• Whitsunday Island
• Hook Island
• Thomas Island
• Whitehaven

Whitsundays is also known as the 100 magic miles and is located in the heart of the famous Great Barrier Reef.

There are many ways to access the reef we flew into Proserpine and then drove a short 1/2 hour ride to Airlie Beach.

We were lucky enough to spend 8 days on the reef aboard a 45ft catamaran hired from Cumberland Charters. The boat slept 12 people with 4 showers and toilets on board and 3 seperate lounge areas including the kitchen area so plenty of room too enjoy the stay on board.

We left the Marina after a very informative brief and a bit of training then motored to our first place for the night at a place called Happy Bay which is located on Long Island. This place is located 2 hours from the marina from Airlie Beach. It is a very peaceful bay with an abandoned resort as of 2015. It is still in perfect condition as there is a full time caretaker that lives on site. It is not accessible to the public but you can bring your tender on to the beach and stretch those sea legs or go for a swim. If you are swimming on the beaches on these islands it is recommended that you wear reef shoes as there are stingrays hiding in the shadows and you do not want to step on one of these. The other two resorts on this Island are in Palm Bay which is an 18+ resort and another which is not open to the public. Check before you anchor or Moor your boat overnight as there are restrictions and fees.

Whitsundays consists of 74 Islands and over 70% of it is National Park .The Ngaro Aboriginal people likely lived on the islands around 8000 years ago. Most of the Islands are uninhabited and are characterised by dense rain forest, hiking trails white sand beaches and clear blue water. The main hub for the Whitsundays is Airlie beach and Hamilton Island. Hamilton Island also has an airport which operates flights from Brisbane and Sydney daily. It is a very popular holiday destination and offers a wide range of accomodation.

We anchored up for the night at the well known beach of Whitehaven which is located on Whitsunday Island . It can be accessed by boat, sea plane or helicopter. It is well known for its sand which is made up of 98.9 % of pure silica. This is excellent for exfoliating your skin.

. The long stretch of beaches and the Clear water makes this a popular tourist destination. Just across from Whitehaven is another famous beach called Chalkies which is also famous for its reef snorkelling. We took this opportunity to anchor up and go for a snorkel, the water was crystal clear and very warm. There were lots of different types of coral to see on low or mid-tide you may even get to see green turtles.

We visited many bays and anchored up overnight at some of the above Islands. Each were very unique but very quiet even though we would share the bay with many other yachts and boats.

Sustainability and Environmental education are very important to the Whitsundays, tourism operators ensure that any one going on to the reef is we’ll educated and respectful to the land and the environment.

We had an amazing time out on the water and saw dolphins 🐬,orcas , reef fish and beautiful coral sea beds. I’m sure there were sharks around below lucky we did not see them up close.

If you haven’t been to the reef it is a must to visit there are so many ways you can come and enjoy this little place of paradise. There are tours operating everyday from Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island. So get booking for your next holiday destination and enjoy.